Daughters: Briana
by dghterjudy
Summary: The future is unlike anything she imagined at all. A journey through the most important chapters of Santana's life. Brittana AU. (Part 1/3 in Daughters series)
1. Omens

**Series:** Daughters

**Title:** Briana

**Pairing:** Santana/Brittany

**Rating:** MA (for language, sexual situations and mild recreational drug use)

**Summary:** The future is unlike anything she imagined at all. A journey through the most important chapters of Santana's life.

**A/N:** This is the first in a planned series of 3 that follow a prologue I wrote back in 2011, about halfway through season 2. This is an AU take of life after high school for these characters as imagined then. I recommend you read that prologue first. It's long but the character journeys are wildly different from the show's third season and this story will not always make that distinction clear, rather it assumes you already know its wacky backstory. Enjoy!

p.s. If you read 'Playing House' posted 2 years ago, it's been since removed because that excerpt opens this chapter as originally intended. Please read from the start anyway as the flashback ties into the present story. Thank you.

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><p><span>Part One: Omens<span>

_Santana's a big fan of weekends at Grandma's. She always makes her favorite food and lets her stay up late. It's good times._

_By now Santana's figured out that her parents will send her over whenever they need a break, so she made sure to soak up every ounce of energy they had in them this past week in order to guarantee this weekend's visit._

_It's a sunny Saturday morning and they're people watching from the front porch. Apparently the next door neighbors have moved since Santana's last visit and there's a new family moving in. A pretty lady with long blonde hair and the bluest eyes she's ever seen breaks away from the brood after a while and walks over to introduce herself._

_Santana starts waving hello when she notices the girl attached to the lady's legs. She only knows she's a girl because her All-Stars are neon pink, otherwise her head looks like it's stuck up the lady's butt. Santana stops mid-wave to cover her mouth, giggling at the sight._

_"Britt Britt, come on," the lady blushes, urging the girl by pulling gently on her arm until her head pops into sight._

_Santana immediately feels embarrassed for her. The girl looks to be about her same age and if her momma ever caught her sucking on her thumb like that, Santana would probably get the longest time-out of her life._

_But then the other girl starts to cry and Santana jumps off the front porch swing, ready to make a run for her doll if necessary just as watery eyes dart towards the movement, suddenly wide and wondrous._

_"I'm really sorry, she's not usually this shy but she just woke up from a nap!"_

_Santana's gone in a flash to fetch her doll._

_On her way back she stops just short of slamming into the lady. She looks up to say sorry but the lady just laughs at her enthusiasm and when the girl peeks out from behind her legs, thumb no longer in mouth, Santana forgets to apologize altogether._

_"Hey there, munchkin! I'm Amy and this is my daughter Brittany. What's your name?"_

_"Santana Marie Lopez," she says in one breath, unable to look back with her answer because if Amy's are the bluest eyes she's ever seen, then Brittany's have to be the brightest._

_She offers her hand and Brittany extends her right, shaking it awkwardly once before realizing it's the wrong hand and switching to the one with the wet thumb._

_Santana makes a face and giggles. "How old are you?"_

_"I'm five," Brittany says, spreading her fingers wide so Santana can count them._

_"I'm five and a half!" She returns proudly, although Brittany probably doesn't even hear because she's already staring at her doll._

_Santana knows she has the prettiest doll in the whole world because the other girls at school always want to play with hers instead of their own. It's a very expensive doll, but she fell in love with her when her daddy took her to the toy store after tricking her into going to the dentist and simply couldn't refuse her. Santana feels the compensation was more than fair._

_"Wanna play?"_

_Brittany nods eagerly and her mom asks Santana's grandma if that's okay. Already knowing the answer, Santana doesn't wait for it and grabs Brittany by the hand, pulling her towards the backyard. Brittany lets go when they reach her playhouse and Santana walks through the front door, suppressing a smile when the other girl gasps._

_It's not that Santana's spoiled, it's just that her sister lives with her mom all the way in Seattle and so she gets all the nice presents to herself._

_Playing alone is not as fun, though._

_"Hey! Can I-" Brittany starts excitedly but Santana quickly shushes her, carefully laying her doll down on the crib. Brittany lowers her voice down to a whisper. "Can I be the mommy, too?"_

_Santana looks at her new friend funny. "I don't think that's how it works."_

_"Oh," Brittany pouts, crossing her arms to shrug as if it doesn't matter, but quickly blushing and looking away when Santana shoots her a puzzled look._

_"Fine," Santana relents with a sigh. "You can be the mommy, too. Just don't tell anyone I said, okay?"_

_"Okay!" Brittany agrees easily, smiling again._

_"And keep your voice down," Santana whispers sternly. "You're gonna wake our baby girl."_

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><p>The day before any major event in her life, Santana's always dreamed about her grandmother. She woke up on her wedding day with a big smile on her face and the memory of meeting Brittany for the first time still fresh in her mind. The dream had been so vivid that Santana could still feel her presence in the room.<p>

It's not a feeling she ever thought she'd welcome, but she'd really missed her when Brittany proposed the year before. Santana had wondered sadly if she was through visiting her in dreams back then. But the one she'd just woken up from was confirmation that her grandmother was still very much with her in spirit.

Feeling her again and on such a special day was the remaining piece of the puzzle. It turned out to be the last bit of reassurance Santana needed to know with certainty that she wasn't rushing into this. That her life with Brittany had begun long ago and today was just a testament to that.

The two of them had settled into an admittedly blissful domestic life almost immediately after landing home from Vegas. She soon realized the other girl hadn't been kidding about starting her own clothing line when she woke Santana up bright and early the next morning, ready to get started. Santana had simply groaned and rolled over but Brittany was quick to remind her that this was sort of her idea, which Santana regretted for all of five seconds until Brittany started pressing kisses to her naked back and asked for help again extra nicely.

She happily obliged and did a lot of research for them over the following months, helping Brittany map out her goals for the line before deciding to just give it a go on their own. It was simple enough. They would try a few small pieces at first and see how they did. Brittany had already booked a dance convention that toured a weekend out of the month indefinitely. A surge of new dancers began attending it exclusively to take class from her and Mike when their show continued running successfully to rave reviews. Her paycheck was consistent due to the pair's sudden popularity in the dance community and the schedule really helped them launch the line in little time.

They'd started out with shirts and tops of simple design, with a few splashes of color that didn't cost as much to make while still using high quality fabric. Once they had the product in their hands, Santana attended the next convention as a vendor and set up a merchandise booth alongside the others. All Mike and Brittany had to do then was mention to a large class that they were premiering their dancewear line and Santana was sold out before the first day was even over.

A website followed and they were completely out of stock within a month. Seeing the success and the revenue it was already bringing in, Mike and Brittany decided to take the next step and invest a good starting amount to produce nicer pieces, branching the line out to include pants, shorts, and hoodies. They proudly named their company _Bike Wear, Inc._, adopting the moniker their fans had given the duo even though Santana protested that it was highly misleading. It didn't stop the line from taking off however, perhaps because it was their fan base that had brought them success in the first place.

Tina needed an internship for college credit so they brought her on to help them manage. She was still attending school in Toronto but she mostly handled website sales and tracked the online activity. It saved them a lot of time to plan their wedding while Mike was starting to get regular gigs out in LA. Santana was surprised to find how easy her new part-time job became after a while and how lucrative. They'd been able to save up enough to put a healthy down payment on a new starter home by the fall.

It took a few months before it was ready for them but they'd finally gotten the keys a couple of weeks before the big day and just in time for the holidays. Having already gone a little over budget on the wedding, they hadn't been able to purchase all of the furniture yet, but at least they already had a nice bed in the master. It was all Santana needed to feel like a grown-up, really, even though she was barely old enough to legally drink and had an entire life to look forward to. Nothing outside those walls would ever matter as much anymore. She was ready to start living her life before realizing she'd been waiting to at all.

Eyes still shut, Santana smiled contentedly as she reached over to Brittany's side. The habitual search for her body warmth came up empty and she lifted her head to inspect the space, frowning disappointedly when she remembered the other girl wasn't with her. Quinn had insisted they spend the day apart until the ceremony, however silly both girls felt about it.

They only made it until later that afternoon though, when Quinn foolishly stepped away from helping Santana get ready to look for a non-existent bag in her car. She heard the door to Quinn's old room re-open just a few moments after and her stomach clenched in anticipation as she looked up, grinning when she saw Brittany's reflection smiling triumphantly back at her in the mirror. She turned around to fully admire the shimmery white gown stunningly hugging every curve on her body.

"It's breathtaking, Britt," Santana shook her head in awe as she stood. "You look beautiful."

Brittany blushed, ducking her head shyly and stepping closer while reaching for her hands.

"I really wanted to be the first to see you in it..." she began regretfully before she trailed off, taking a half step back to appreciate the tight fit and short length of Santana's own dress. "It's perfect!"

"Yeah?" Santana glanced down with apprehension. It was a shade brighter than Brittany's, though it somehow matched its sparkle.

"Yeah babe," Brittany nodded breathlessly, conveying just how much she loved it as her eyes continued to survey Santana's body in it. A thought came to her and her baby blues lit up. "Please tell me you're wearing some killer red pumps with this?"

Santana smirked, twisting her bare foot on the carpet and shrugging coyly. Brittany grinned back before carefully leaning in for a kiss, mindful of their fresh make-up until her hand slipped down to cup her ass and then it was Santana who couldn't help surging forward, carelessly mashing their lips together.

"Ahem," Tina cleared her throat and startled them apart. She was holding a doorknob in her hand while shooting daggers in Brittany's direction. "You locked me in the bathroom."

"Oh no!" Quinn reappeared right behind her, frowning disappointedly. "Why would you let her come over?"

"I didn't! Though all she had to do was _ask_." Tina narrowed her eyes back at Brittany while handing Quinn the doorknob, shrugging when Quinn just gaped back. "Britt's fault."

"Brittany! Out!"

"No!" She glared back, clearly over whatever tradition Quinn was imposing on them. Her pinky linked anxiously around Santana's and tugged. "Will you please tell your maid of honor this is stupid?"

"Come on, Q. It's our wedding."

"That's fine, but can't you two hold off on making out for another hour? Look at her face!"

Santana laughed suddenly, reaching a thumb to wipe her red lipstick off Brittany's pout only to further smear it in the process.

"Okay, stop!" Tina ordered her before running out to retrieve Brittany's make-up from the guest room.

Quinn rushed over to reapply Santana's.

"I was only trying to make the first time you saw each other today special, you know…" She muttered, still blushing from Brittany's little outburst.

"I know," Santana sighed. She grasped and stilled the hand working on her face to look her best friend in the eye, smiling sincerely. "And it was. Thank you."

Quinn had in fact done a wonderful job. Santana almost hired a wedding planner but every time they interviewed one, Quinn would dismiss their suggestions by instantly coming up with at least five better ones. Following a couple of unsuccessful meetings, Santana gave up and just offered to pay Quinn to plan the whole thing instead.

She'd declined compensation, saying it would be her honor (and wedding gift) before spending every waking hour she wasn't at work running invitation designs by her roommates and scheduling visits to Lima's limited selection of venues. They'd both hated every single one so Quinn had suggested looking outside of town when Brittany had the brilliant idea to have it at the Fabray home.

Santana pictured it then exactly as it happened: her father walking her down the spiral case to the beautiful foyer below, Brittany and her father just a few steps ahead, both men giving them away to each other while surrounded only by immediate family and their closest friends...

The affair was simple, elegant and stress-free. Mercedes, now a part-time student / part-time ordained minister performing gay weddings up in Boston, had offered to marry them the night Brittany proposed. She teared up as the couple said their own vows, involving an emotional exchange of old friendship bracelets for wedding rings that both Santana and Brittany struggled through themselves, then finally allowed them to get their sensible mack by pronouncing them woman and wife.

"Ladies and gentlemen, Mrs. and Mrs. Santana Lopez!"

Every reaction in the room was different, from Kurt's hearty laugh down to her father's loud whistle. But most importantly, all positive.

Santana had been a little hesitant when Brittany first mentioned changing her last name. She didn't think it was necessary, but then Brittany decided to play dirty and brought up the fact that Santana got crazy bling out of the deal and all she really wanted in return was her name, so she let her have it. They'd managed to keep it a secret until the moment Mercedes announced it, only telling her in private a few minutes before the ceremony.

A small reception followed in the back yard, under a heavy tent with plenty of heaters since Brittany had insisted on a winter wedding. They'd settled for the first of January to allow everyone to celebrate the holidays first and simultaneously kick off the new year on the highest note. All guests wore black and white per dress code, making the red roses decorating the space stand out dramatically in the candlelit room. The small fortune they'd spent was more than worth all the beautiful memories of that perfect day.

They honeymooned in Puerto Rico for a week. Her uncles owned a high-end resort on a smaller island just off the coast and they got to stay in their most lavish cabin as a wedding gift from Santana's parents. She took Brittany on excursions all over the main island to her favorite restaurants and eateries, partly to share her culture but mostly to satisfy her own cravings, and toured her through the places she visited every summer as a child.

In reality they spent most of their time in bed or lying naked on the private deck, lazily catching rays and z's in between marathon rounds of the best sex Santana had ever partaken in, but it was nice to bring her back to the place she was from to celebrate the rest of their lives together. It felt so natural that Santana couldn't help smiling like a newlywed the entire time, and she didn't stop, not even after they returned to Lima and spring semester started.

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><p><strong>TBC: Will update this once or twice a week while I edit and finish this first volume. Feedback is encouraged and appreciated! Thank you for reading.<strong>


	2. Redemption Song

Part Two: Redemption Song

Quinn did such a splendid job with theirs, Santana said she should start planning weddings for a living as a joke and she literally took her word for it. With the commission she made from selling them their first place, Quinn decided to take a break from real estate to plan her own.

Finn had proposed just six months after Brittany, shocking no one. The jaw-dropper came when they announced that in place of a wedding they would be having a "commitment ceremony" instead. Finn said it was in solidarity to Kurt. Quinn said she didn't care to participate in an institution that excluded the people she loved the most.

The first to call bullshit was her church. Quinn's pastor refused to officiate the ceremony if the couple didn't agree to sign a legal marriage license, so she stopped attending the same church she practically grew up in and started going to a non-denominational one instead. Finn had begun accompanying her then, knowing there was zero chance of running into Russell Fabray there. Quinn's estranged father hadn't even responded to her request to reconcile and walk her down the aisle.

The second to voice her reluctance had been Santana. Granted, she'd observed a dramatic change to their dynamic as a couple once they started to openly date again, but what she couldn't help finding shady was how they always went about their relationship in secret. If only for the fact that Santana spent most of her teenage years doing the same and never for the right reasons.

Perhaps she didn't think asking for Quinn's hand in fake marriage was sincere enough, even though Quinn hadn't really expected it, and Finn had yet to crack under the pressure she was already putting on all of them to carry out her dream wedding. Regardless, Santana still couldn't reconcile Finn's sudden change of heart about his past with her best friend. She'd kept her mouth shut because Quinn was over the moon and she didn't really want to be the one to burst her bubble. Brittany flat-out didn't agree with her, either. The hold she had on her quick tongue was bound to slip eventually but Santana rationalized this was as good a reason to leave it alone for a while.

But then a few weeks before the wedding, Quinn held a small gathering at their old apartment as an excuse to get her guests to help finalize the cake and menu. It wasn't a complete bum deal, the food was tasty and Santana never turned away a free meal, but most of their friends were still out of town so the only people that showed were Quinn's colleagues, Finn, and Matt. Santana sat quietly against the arm of the couch, bored out of her mind while Brittany and Quinn chatted animatedly below her, eventually noticing how fantastic the view down the top of Brittany's dress was. She was ogling her wife happily when Quinn caught her and rolled her eyes. Brittany followed their direction, turning her head to find Santana still smiling to herself.

She shrugged unapologetically and Brittany smirked, raising an eyebrow and eyeing the glass of red wine in Santana's hand curiously. A friend of Quinn's started gushing over her engagement ring then and Brittany took the opportunity to turn around fully, patting her lap invitingly. Santana grinned before sliding down on top.

"You're blushing," Brittany observed smugly as she embraced her.

"It's the wine."

Brittany giggled. "I know."

Santana bit her lip, leaning in to whisper in her ear. "Wanna make out?"

Brittany didn't bother replying and simply reached for the back of her neck, ever eager for an excuse to do just that. Santana smiled into the kiss and pulled back after a second to shake her head.

"Not here," she leaned in to whisper again, pausing to brush her lips over the tender spot below her ear and basking in the way Brittany's skin instantly goosebumped.

"Sit for a couple of minutes then meet me in the bathroom?"

Brittany nodded, a playful smile dancing on her lips as she sucked the bottom one into her mouth and gazed after Santana's retrieving form.

Santana was baring her teeth in the mirror and running her tongue over the pearly whites when she heard a knock on the door. Throwing herself a kiss first, the giddy smirk that followed soon left her face when she opened it to a stranger. She sighed disappointedly and moved aside to let the guy in before spotting Brittany finally making her way over. A much better idea popped into her head then and she leaped across the hallway to lean against the opposite wall, hiding in the shadows. Brittany jumped when Santana snatched her hand in the darkness to pull her towards their old bedroom and into the bathroom inside.

She closed the door behind them, her lips curving into a mischievous smile as she turned them around and pressed Brittany against it. The blonde pulled Santana flush against herself by her belt loops and Santana's breath hitched, a feral growl escaping her before attacking Brittany's mouth in a hungry kiss. She gripped her hips with need, pressing against her insistently and whimpering into her mouth when the mere contact wasn't enough.

Brittany grabbed her by the hair and pulled her back, holding her just a few inches from her face to suck in a lungful. Santana surged forward again but Brittany held her in place and smiled breathlessly when she hissed. Her desperate tongue slipped out as far as it could reach, straining to give Brittany's bottom lip a tiny lick. Brittany grinned and mimicked the action, slower and with more tongue while still keeping Santana at a distance. Santana groaned and writhed against her hold until Brittany released her and like magnets, their mouths crashed together again in a bruising kiss. They moaned in harmony and made out sloppily for a few more minutes before Santana trailed her lips down to the inviting warmth of Brittany's neck.

She wrapped her lips around the pulse point and sucked greedily, earning her a gasp of delight from the other girl. Red wine wasn't her favorite but it always made her want to devour every inch of her. Just distractedly watching Brittany have a conversation had made her mouth water, not to mention the dress she'd worn to the shindig was decidedly Santana's favorite.

She was about to make an official statement about it, only momentarily distracted by the way Brittany's breath hitched when she scratched her perfectly manicured nails across the back of bare thighs, before she finally opened her mouth and someone beat her to the compliment.

_"You look super hot in that dress."_

Santana pulled back to shoot Brittany a puzzled look but the loud thud against the door quickly startled them both back up to speed.

_"I look super hot in everything,"_ they heard Quinn panting on the other side.

Brittany's jaw dropped at the same time Santana's eyes widened in horror, realizing they were trapped. She had every intention of yelling at them to stop, not really caring if they got caught doing the same as much as spending another second inside that bathroom, but then Brittany clamped a hand over her mouth and Santana froze in place against her better judgment. They were fully aware that their friends had a sexual relationship, but they'd been pretty discreet while they still lived under the same roof and even before then, Quinn had always been weirdly private about it so this sort of situation was new territory for them. Surely Quinn wasn't the kind of host to leave her own party for a quickie, though.

Santana resigned, shutting her eyes and trying to think about anything other than Quinn and Finn humping each other on the other side of that door, just inches away from their faces. Her eyes flew open again when Finn started grunting and images from a distant past inevitably flashed before her closed lids. Brittany had to bite her lip to keep from giggling. She brought a finger to her own lips, warning Santana to be quiet before removing her other hand to give her a tentative peck. Santana tried really hard to close her eyes again but then she heard a zipper that wasn't hers and immediately decided that she couldn't.

"Okay no," she vehemently shook her head. "No fucking way."

"Shh!"

The movement against the door stopped abruptly and Brittany swung them out of the way as it pushed open. Quinn glared at them, blushing while struggling to pull the tight skirt of her dress back down. Completely unaware, Finn leaned against the door frame with a dopey grin on his face.

"Hey ladies."

Santana scowled, muttering a quick apology before rushing out of the room with Brittany in tow and Quinn barking after them about this no longer being their apartment. An hour later she hid Santana's keys from them anyway when they both started slurring their words and passing out on her living room couch.

Santana woke up in the foulest mood the next morning as Finn moved about the kitchen loudly and Quinn argued with their caterer over the phone. She sat up and immediately clutched her head, shooting a particular glare in Finn's direction. Somehow she always failed to remember why she disliked red wine in the first place and the resulting headache was only being made worse by all the noise he was making. It was a wonder Quinn could hear the person on the other end of the line at all.

Santana must have set off his spidey sense because just as she was getting ready to growl at him, Finn noticed her awake and grinned like the number one fan of mornings.

"You're up! Breakfast is almost ready."

She briefly wondered if it was the sex. He probably just realized what he'd let go of back in high school after Quinn finally let him have at it. Putting a ring on her finger was a sure way to guarantee he wouldn't go without it ever again. Santana had no idea what about Quinn's baby maker drove men nuts, but she wanted nothing short of the perfect husband for her and Finn's track record didn't exactly strike her as promising.

Normally Santana would've hurled back an insult in broken Spanish, just to vent her frustration, but her stomach growled at the prospect of food. She mumbled one under her breath instead and shuffled over to her usual spot on the table. The scene was reminiscent of the months leading up to her and Brittany's own wedding, before they were finally able to move into their own home where it was always peaceful and quiet on Saturday mornings. Finn dumped eggs on Santana's plate as Brittany appeared right on cue from behind her, kissing her temple and plopping down on the chair next to her.

"Morning Britt," Finn said quietly as he emptied the rest of the pan on her plate, likely made aware of Santana's sour mood by the look on her face and attempting to be considerate. Brittany returned his greeting in a whisper and they shared a knowing smile. It annoyed Santana all the same.

As if reading her thoughts, Quinn placed a steaming mug of coffee in front of her, reminding Santana exactly why they were best friends. She would've kissed her had she not been raising her voice a few inches from her ear as she did, but the ibuprofen she placed next to the coffee before apologetically squeezing her hand sort of made up for it. Quinn hung up the phone shortly after and joined them.

"I'm sorry but if I have to worry about this on my big day, I _will_ destroy lives."

She frowned at the bacon Finn nonchalantly slipped onto her plate.

"Babe, I told you, only yogurt and granola for breakfast. We're in the homestretch now."

"It's turkey!" He defended, the guilty smile on his face still giving away the poor effort he'd been putting towards making sure Quinn fit into her dress. She groaned and reached a hand to yank at his hair playfully when Finn leaned in for a kiss, anyway.

Santana took note of the way she happily obliged, the argument over the phone and the high calorie breakfast before her quickly forgotten. Even she had to admit the difference between the girl Quinn was in high school and the girl sitting next to her then was night and day. If Santana was truly being honest with herself, the giant kid looking back at her with stars in his eyes as she pulled away had a lot to do with that.

Quinn's phone rang again and she snarled at it, stuffing a piece of bacon into her mouth before getting back up to answer it. Finn's eyes followed her ass moving under her robe with a lopsided grin on his face.

"What changed?"

Brittany choked on her eggs next to her. "San!"

"What?" She shrugged innocently. "I genuinely want to know."

Finn waved his fork in dismissal. "It's cool, I'm actually kinda surprised it took you this long."

Santana narrowed her eyes accusingly; Finn wasn't exactly known for his stellar instinct, after all.

"Well Quinn said you'd give me a hard time..."

"I'm not giving you a hard time," she deadpanned.

Quinn glanced over her shoulder from the far end of the kitchen then, her phone still pressed against her ear. Santana flashed a cheeky smile and Quinn eyed her suspiciously. Finn chuckled at the exchange.

"Okay well, everything changed. Quinn was really there for me after Rachel left, you know?"

Santana snorted, immediately put off by his response. Finn must've realized how his words sounded out loud as soon as they left his mouth because he quickly retreated.

"I meant as a _friend_," he clarified. "I was too upset about Oscar to care about anyone else, to be honest. We'd never really been just friends before so, that was nice. I don't know, I guess she really helped me deal with not having him around and stuff. It made realize what that must've been like for her before. I mean, I wasn't really thinking about what it felt like to have a kid and then lose it back when we were in high school..."

His eyes drifted back towards Quinn, who continued to argue over the amount of guests she originally gave them versus the amount they actually bid her for.

"I'm not making excuses for myself, though," he continued, smiling distractedly as Quinn stomped her foot for emphasis. "I was kind of a douche back then and that's not who I want my son growing up to know."

Finn shrugged when Quinn hung up for the second time and walked back over, winking at her as she approached.

"She just makes me want to be a better person," he concluded despite her renewed attention.

Quinn's mood lightened visibly at his words. The leftover scowl from the argument she'd just finished having vanished and a sappy grin took over her face. Walking around his chair, she gently pulled his head back by a lock of hair and peered down at him curiously.

"My ears are ringing."

"Santana cracked," he explained, pointing a finger in her direction.

Quinn looked over, feigning annoyance by halfheartedly rolling her eyes and smiling fondly. She came up behind Santana and wrapped an arm around her neck, squeezing her head in semi-painful hug.

"_Ow_."

"Did you get it out of your system then?"

"For now," Santana admitted, unable to keep from smiling along when Brittany tilted her head sideways and tucked her hands under her chin adorably, beaming at their friends through the unfussy filter of childlike eyes.

In the end, Quinn Fabray did almost exactly as she said she would and Santana couldn't help but admire her resilience. As soon as she made up her mind to turn her life around, she sailed through every obstacle by simply refusing to end up another statistic. She never lost focus of what she'd always wanted until she was walking down that aisle, eyes locked on her first love and everyone that at some point had challenged her rather specific ambitions in life there to witness it all. They dared mock something so organic and pure as home and a good man and a stable, independent career, and Santana was proud of the perfect way she sort of threw it all back in their faces, shamelessly and without malice.

She'd learned a lot from her best friend over the last two years. It was Quinn who'd kept her anchored while Brittany was gone. She came to recognize the subtle way she constantly kept Santana from straying, keeping her focused on herself rather than the menacing distance between them. Quinn latched on to few, but took great care of those she loved like the fierce mother she was made to be and would subsequently set out to prove she was.

Further throwing everyone in for a loop, the couple announced that instead of a honeymoon they'd be going on a mission trip to some orphanage in Vietnam and asked their guests for donations in lieu of wedding gifts. The whole thing reeked of Quinn's idea but if Finn was upset about it, his demeanor never showed it. Santana thought that maybe all that church going was starting to get to him. She couldn't decide if that was a good thing or not, but at that point she'd stopped questioning their friends when she saw the ease with which everything fell into place for them, too. That wedding had every right to be a disaster considering the guest list and yet everyone in attendance was surprisingly merry and had a blast.

Santana found herself contemplating the unlikelihood of their unconventional families as Beth slipped out of her ballet flats and onto Puck's feet before he led her across the dance floor, all the while Quinn watched them lovingly from across the ballroom, bouncing Finn and Rachel's giggly 21-month-old on her lap. It shouldn't have worked but somehow it did. Somehow their lives ended up forever intertwined by fate, and only peacefully because it was.

* * *

><p><strong>an: I sincerely hope marriage equality soon dates this chapter. It's crazy I didn't even think it a possibility when I wrote this 3 years ago!**


	3. Playing House

Part Three: Playing House

The rest of that summer flew by. Two consecutive wins at Nationals had given Santana access to the kind of budget that allowed a nationally ranked coach like herself to recruit from the top schools in the country. The few up and comers she'd snatched up only solidified their chances at yet another trophy and they proved as much when they outperformed every other team at camp. Santana was so proud of her kids that year, she even cancelled the mandatory two weeks of practice before fall semester she'd been imposing since she took the job.

Still, nothing trumped the feeling of returning home at the end of every day. This brand new sense of peace would overcome her as soon as she pulled up her driveway, finding it all too easy to forget about the world outside the minute she walked through that front door. They had slowly but surely furnished every room in the house save for the small office across their bedroom, which was mostly being used for storage at the time. Santana would've been perfectly content never leaving except for work and food and dates, but ever the social butterfly, Brittany made sure to keep them both on their toes. She dragged her along to every convention, every audition, every weekend trip to Vegas to catch up with the old crew and assist with choreography changes. They paid her well and by the hour, which meant Brittany's business trips almost always ended up in pleasure for Santana.

She really couldn't fathom life getting any better than that. Her job was fun and she was young, hot, already a homeowner and married to the most beautiful woman she would ever lay eyes on. At that particular point in her life, Santana was beyond set. She was kicking her feet back and enjoying the luxury of not needing to plan for a distant future when they already had everything they needed.

That blissful notion was unexpectedly rocked on a lazy weekend morning, after Quinn and Finn turned up at their door unannounced and invited them out for coffee. They reluctantly accepted when the pair promised to explain the surprise visit once they were all sitting down at the Lima Bean.

Santana could only think of one logical reason for all this mystery: Quinn was pregnant. The announcement suddenly felt so predictable that the whole 'ordering decaf without exactly telling them' routine seemed rather unnecessary, but she could only imagine how thrilled her best friend must've been and saw no harm by indulging them.

She braced herself to look surprised as Quinn handed them what was surely an ultrasound picture before she took one glance and the expression came naturally.

"What the fuck?"

"That's Ben," Finn returned with a dimply smile just as Brittany snatched the picture away.

"He's so cute!"

"I don't get it, who's the kid?"

"Abandoned at birth," Quinn explained, a conflicted look of indignation and sadness briefly crossing her features. "They brought him to the orphanage on our first day there."

"And named him Ben?"

"Well we named him Bennett, but the local workers can't really pronounce it right so they just call him Ben."

Santana shook her head. "I'm still lost."

"We want to adopt him."

She blinked and sat still for a beat, processing Finn's words before they finally sunk in.

"You're kidding, right?"

"Wait, so Vietnam has Asian babies for sale?"

"Not exactly," Quinn laughed, ignoring the completely confounded look on Santana's face to address Brittany's. "I mean, the whole process of adopting is a little expensive but you can't just put a price on a life like that, Britt. They're not Cabbage Patch Kids."

"_Oh_."

"Okay but wait a sec," Santana shook her head again, still too stunned by the news to really think about the logistics. "Are you sure they're gonna let you guys adopt this kid? I mean, aren't you still a little young?"

"We thought the same thing, but we met with an agent yesterday and they really only care that we're married and have a stable income."

"Yeah and apparently what I make at the garage alone is good enough, so we feel better about our chances," Finn added with a smile Santana thought a little too proud. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"But you're not like _married_ married."

"Right," Quinn acknowledged her point expectedly, sharing a look with Finn before cueing him with a nod.

"Which is what we wanted to discuss with you…"

"You want to get actual married?" Brittany chimed in, catching on.

"We have to," Finn confirmed grimly, his shoulders slumping while a less dramatic Quinn just nodded in response. "Kurt gave us his blessing but we'd really love yours, too."

"Of course!" Brittany smiled brightly.

Santana chuckled. "I don't really give a shit, you guys. You have the legal right, why waive it on my account?"

Quinn rolled her eyes. "Actually, we need two witnesses. Do you mind? We'd like to do it ASAP and get the ball rolling on the paperwork."

"You're not telling your parents, are you?"

Finn shook his head. "We don't really want to get their hopes up yet. Not at least until we know how long of a process we're looking at."

Santana shifted uncomfortably in her seat before turning concerned eyes on her best friend.

"Q, you sure this is what you want? Isn't it easier to just pop one out? We already know you can."

Quinn shook her head dismissively, unfazed by the obvious jab. "Sure it's easier. And cheaper. But Ben doesn't have parents and we can give him a _real home_ so why-"

Santana shut her eyes, quickly lifting her hands to surrender her argument. On the one hand it bothered her how desperately Quinn was still trying to replace Beth. She'd been privately obsessing about settling down and having another baby ever since Shelby brought the child back into her life. But she also figured watching while someone else raises your offspring would prematurely set off anyone's biological clock. In that moment she couldn't possibly, but Santana thought she understood why her best friend would want to fill that void as soon as possible.

"Look, I get it," she sighed. "I just don't want to see you guys put yourselves through a difficult process when you've been married for all of five minutes. But!"

Santana surrendered with her hands once more, emphasizing the last word and glaring at Finn as he opened his mouth, most likely ready to launch into a similar speech defending their honest to God intentions.

"Whatever. I know you're gonna do it your way regardless so, where do we sign?"

Quinn grinned, happy to have her on board. "Eight AM at the courthouse on North Main. It'll take an hour tops."

"Sure," Santana shrugged. "I don't really have to be at work until second period, anyway."

She scooted closer to Brittany then, smoothing a hand down her back and resting her chin on the blonde's shoulder in order to get a better look at the tiny baby in the picture, sleeping soundly in what were obviously Finn's giant arms. Ben had a head full of hair and the sweetest little face Santana had ever seen. How could anybody just abandon someone so tiny and defenseless? It didn't make any sense to her. Quinn was probably right, their friends could give him a better home than he ever stood a chance of having.

"He is cute," Santana conceded aloud, unaware of the way Quinn suddenly cocked her head to peer at them curiously. When no one responded, she lifted her head and noticed.

"What?"

Quinn raised an eyebrow, a smug smirk on her face as she quietly nodded towards Brittany. Santana turned her attention on her wife and immediately caught what Quinn clearly just had. Her thumb was absentmindedly brushing against where the baby's cheek was in the picture. Eyes dancing back and forth. Wheels turning. Lips curving into a telling smile.

Santana's heart began thumping out of pure instinct. The thought of Brittany cradling a baby in her arms always had the same effect on her, but it seldom occurred to her long enough to really think about the implication of her own body language. Brittany's was only slightly more obvious and Santana blushed when she realized.

She sat back in her chair, crossing her arms defensively. "Stop it."

Quinn giggled as Brittany's head snapped up and glanced obliviously between them. She smiled when her eyes landed on Santana, reaching a hand to grip her knee.

"What is it, babe?"

Santana found herself suddenly wishing she was properly equipped to drag Brittany into the ladies room and get her pregnant right then. Her body betrayed her once again, blushing deeper at the thought. She shook her head distractedly and smiled while reaching for the hand on her knee to give it a squeeze.

"I need a refill, how about you?"

Brittany shook her head, pecking her lips before rising. "Let me."

Santana had only been looking for an out and she briefly panicked as Brittany winked and left the table. She opened her mouth to protest but the other girl was already at the counter placing their order. Finn chuckled.

"One word out of you and I ain't signing shit," she warned under her breath.

Finn lifted his arms in surrender this time and Quinn squeezed her lips tight to keep from grinning, making a locking motion over her mouth with her hand before tossing the invisible key over her shoulder.

Santana half expected the baby talk to follow them on the car ride home, but instead Brittany spent the entire time gushing about being the best aunt to Ben ever and vowing to spoil him rotten. It made her a little sad, knowing just how much Brittany hated missing her real nephew growing up far away with her sister, but she was a lot more relieved to hear where her head was actually at. As much as she was apparently looking forward to a family of their own someday, Santana truly wasn't ready to share her just yet.

Of course they eventually had that talk, and as with every other milestone in their relationship, the conversation happened before Santana even realized they were having it. Following the ritual Sunday brunch at the Pierce's just a few months later, Brittany's mom had finally put her foot down after nearly a year of politely asking her daughter to go through her childhood belongings and take home whatever she wished to keep before she tossed all of it. Mrs. Pierce had originally planned to clear the attic during the last spring cleaning but Brittany had kept putting it off with the excuse of getting her own home settled first. With winter once again upon them and their house more or less complete, Santana found herself standing in front of the door leading up to the Pierce's attic.

She'd almost forgotten it was in Brittany's old bedroom, presently being used for guests. Aside from the posters and pictures that used to line its walls, everything else remained practically the same - including the bedspread Brittany grew up sleeping in, which, if the guests only_ knew. _Santana snickered at the thought, breaking the silence she hadn't even noticed settled.

"Don't laugh," Brittany grumbled.

It was then Santana realized they'd been frozen in place for a while. Or rather, Brittany was frozen in place while Santana patiently waited for her grown-ass wife to get over her silly childhood fear and open the damn door. It was no wonder Santana always forgot this was the door to the attic, Brittany used to never let her near it. Once, while playing hide and seek, Santana snuck up there to hide and waited for an eternity before coming back down to check on her. After looking in every crook and cranny of the house, Brittany had desperately concluded that the monster in the attic must have taken her best friend. Santana found her at the bottom of stairs sobbing and working up the courage to go after her. Brittany locked the door afterwards and hid the key.

Judging by the since replaced doorknob, Santana assumed her parents never found it.

"I wasn't laughing at you," she smiled fondly, slipping her hand into Brittany's and tugging. "But come on, this could take forever and I was really looking forward to spending the rest of my day cuddling in front of the TV."

Brittany sighed and unlocked the door, peering into the darkness wearily before taking a hesitant step forward. Santana frowned.

"Babe. You don't seriously still think there's a monster up there, do you?"

"No," Brittany pouted. "But it still gives me the creeps."

Santana sighed and took the lead, pulling her up the stairs behind her and clicking the overhead light bulb on as they reached the top.

"Ugh. No way all of this is fitting in our car. I'll go get trash bags."

She took two steps down before glancing over her shoulder to make sure Brittany was okay by herself, not even bothering to ask when she saw her already bee-lining it for a box in the corner. Santana bounded the rest of the way down quietly and when she returned minutes later, Brittany was kneeling in front of that same box, a pile of things stacked on the ground next to her as she dug through it. As soon as she heard Santana come up behind her, she turned around and grinned.

"San, look!"

She reached inside for something vaguely familiar to Santana's eye. She really wasn't sure what she was looking at until Brittany pulled it all the way out and wiped the dust from it. Her eyes went wide when she finally recognized her cherished doll, _their_ cherished doll, still wearing the same dress she'd last seen her in. The one her grandma had made for them.

"Oh my God, Britt," Santana gasped while dropping to her knees next to her, suddenly remembering the whereabouts of her favorite childhood toy. "I totally forgot you had her last."

Everything had changed after Santana's grandmother died. The memories that cul-de-sac held made Santana tremble with sadness for so long after, she hadn't even thought about going back to see Brittany until Mrs. Pierce called her parents about her own inconsolable child at home. Following their first sleepover and a particularly hard goodbye, Santana agreed to leave her doll behind for Brittany to look after, but only if she promised to stop crying. It was the one thing that had always worked against Brittany's tears when they were little girls. That doll had been more than just a play thing for them, it became a security blanket. Santana's silent promise that she would always come back.

"Me too," Brittany whispered back, cradling the doll lovingly in her arms like she once used to and smiling wistfully.

Santana's mind flashed back to countless of play dates that went exactly like this; with Brittany rocking their doll to sleep and Santana watching her quietly, fantasizing about growing up and marrying twin brothers and living next to each other forever so that their babies could be best friends, too. Far too young to understand what she truly wanted for herself, even though Brittany had probably wanted exactly this from the very start. Her heart swelled with melancholy.

"Remember when we used to play house?"

Brittany smirked, eyes still fixed on their doll. "You mean like we do every day?"

Santana smiled. The fact that they'd spent most of their childhood practicing for the real thing had almost escaped her. She absentmindedly ran her fingers over the lace of the doll's dress, remembering how her grandma helped them sketch it under Brittany's watchful eye, three inches from the page as her grandma drew it to life. She had taken them to the mall to pick out the fabric and everything, even splurging on a third bracelet that they engraved especially for her. It had proven too large for her tiny wrists but they decided it could be her necklace instead.

They must've recalled the memory at the same time because just as Santana was getting ready to, Brittany felt under the collar of the dress and found the jewelry still wrapped around the doll's neck.

"Briana," she read out loud, thumbing the lettering on the small charm. It was what they'd named her together even though she already had one, which Santana had since completely forgotten. "Where did we get that name from?"

Santana rolled her eyes at their cheesy, younger selves. "It's half of both of ours, remember?"

"Oh, that's right!" Brittany threw her head back and laughed. "Not bad for a couple of first graders, huh? I kinda love it."

Santana couldn't help giggling along with her. "Yeah, I guess not. I love it, too," she admitted with a shrug. "It's sweet."

Brittany's face split into an irresistibly happy grin at that. The kind that made Santana's heart skip a few beats for no apparent reason other than she was ridiculously in love with her wife.

"Maybe one day we can have her, too?"

The question slipped past her lips before she knew she'd asked it aloud and Brittany giggled at the way her face immediately reddened, reaching a hand to cup Santana's face and rubbing her thumb over the warming skin.

"Of course, baby," she replied, pressing her lips to Santana's long enough to take her breath away. "As soon as you're ready," she added as an afterthought, hinting she was already more than.

Santana shuffled closer to rest her dizzy head on Brittany's shoulder, smiling endearingly at the doll in her arms and wrapping her own tightly around them.

"I really miss your grandma," Brittany sighed sadly after a beat.

Santana nodded and closed her eyes, imagining her grandmother sitting in the room with them and smiling the way she always did while she watched them play. Emotion threatened to overcome her then and she did her best to swallow it back down, clearing her throat in said effort.

"Come on," she squeezed Brittany, kissing her neck before letting go. "We still have about twenty of these to go through."

The hoarseness in her voice gave the impending tears away and Brittany swiftly pulled her back into a longer embrace without further mention.

"Well, we're definitely keeping her," she concluded upon releasing her again, a hint of held back tears in her own voice as she laid the doll aside.

That night they took her home, cleaned her up and cuddled with her on the couch while eating pizza for dinner and watching_ Casper _for old times sake. Brittany spent the entire time giggling and quoting the movie while all Santana could distractedly think about was how that office across their bedroom would make an excellent nursery, entirely unaware of the elaborate design Brittany had already been sketching in her head since the first day they saw the house.


	4. Homecoming

Part Four: Homecoming

Ben's adoption had gone through rather quickly, it was the actual process of taking the child out of the country that took longer than anyone had originally expected. Finn returned home after three long weeks in Vietnam with no end in sight, not wanting to be so far away from Oscar in case of an emergency and desperately needing to get back to work. They'd been using the last of Quinn's savings to pay for legal and living expenses while about to outgrow their apartment in Lima after all.

He went right to working 12-hour days and Santana was perfectly content not hearing from him for weeks before Brittany started inviting him over for dinner on a semi-regular basis. Santana protested every time considering Brittany never cooked unless it involved a microwave and feeding him ultimately fell on her. She never minded catering to her wife's strict dietary needs, even went as far as leaving prepared meals for her every morning before work, but serving Finn anything other than their left overs was an entirely different thing. She knew for a fact the dude could fend for himself since he did most of the cooking while they were still living with Quinn and he'd be over 24/7. That was the sole reason Santana had kept from insisting he pay rent, too.

But as the months went by and Quinn's Skype calls grew more anxious, Santana put on her best friend hat and quietly accepted him into their home whenever he came over. She even indulged him a few games of Madden and would be lying if she said she didn't enjoy getting him stoned for the first time. His anxiety about the adoption was palpable and while it made Santana nervous about the whole thing, she could only imagine the stress of being away from Brittany and having several mouths to feed on her own. So when the encouraging words wouldn't come, Santana offered the next best thing: her weed. She wasn't one to share it freely with anyone other than Brittany who owned half of her shit already, meaning she hoped the incredibly kind gesture spoke louder than anything she could have possibly said with words.

Santana and Brittany's first anniversary came and went. They spent New Year's with Santana's parents in Virginia Beach and celebrated the rest of the week holed up at a bed and breakfast nearby. Santana dove head first into a grueling practice schedule following winter break and with all the commotion of almost losing Nationals to a devastating injury on her team that year, she hadn't even realized how long Quinn had really been away until she announced on Facebook that Ben was finally coming home. When Santana did the math in her head it had almost been a full eight months.

They went along with the Hummels and Quinn's mom to welcome them at the airport only after Burt extended the invitation. Even though Santana really couldn't wait to meet her nephew, she'd figured the family could use some alone time before they welcomed outside company. Nevertheless, it felt special to be included in such an intimate moment. She and Brittany mostly stood back and watched as they all huddled around the wide-eyed baby boy whose entire world up to that point had been Quinn, never mind the bunch of strangers who called themselves family from behind a computer screen suddenly clamoring for his attention all at once. Santana could just tell he wasn't having it and sure enough, not a second later he was scurrying away in his mother's arms and hiding his face from everyone behind her shoulder.

They all stood back to give him space while Quinn cooed a few words into his ear, making sure he'd calmed before beckoning Finn closer. Ben turned his little head up to find the man he'd already started calling 'Dada' hovering from higher up above than he clearly remembered. Finn reached for him and Ben went with hesitation at first, eyes wide and unblinking while sobbing back a few breaths until Finn started talking to him and he finally appeared to recognize his voice, relaxing visibly in his arms though still eyeing him closely.

Santana shifted in her spot and Ben caught the movement, suddenly seeing her there and launching himself from Finn's arms onto her unexpected ones. She reacted just in time and caught him while everyone but Finn laughed, a chorus of 'awws' simultaneously escaping Carol, Quinn and Brittany. Santana made a point to roll her eyes at them and reactively bounced the baby in her arms.

"You okay little guy?" She asked gently, even though Ben had already stuck his thumb in his mouth and cuddled close as if he'd known Santana all along.

Quinn leaned in to scratch his belly. "That's your Aunt Tana, Benny. Can you say hi?"

He looked up and Santana tried encouraging him with a little smile, drawing a shy one out of him as he closed his eyes and attempted to hide his face behind the remaining four fingers not currently in his mouth.

"Oh, he _likes_ you," Quinn concluded happily, clapping her hands quietly to keep from disturbing the moment.

"What's not to love?" Santana smirked and winked at Ben before he ducked his head comfortably back down on her chest.

"He's so used to the female workers at the orphanage, she probably just looks more familiar..." Finn explained to no one in particular, trying and failing at not looking upset about his son clinging to someone other than him in that moment.

It occurred to Santana that this was exactly why they probably should've declined his stepfather's invitation to join them.

"Kneel," she signaled Finn while sitting down on the nearest chair, adjusting Ben on her lap to sit with his back against her.

Finn did as told and reached a hand to smooth his hair down affectionately. Ben leaned forward to grab his nose and Finn laughed, getting an amused smile back. The baby did it again and this time Santana made a honking noise, making him giggle and distracting

him enough to go with Finn when he sat all the way down on the floor and pulled him to his lap.

Brittany sat next to her then, slipping her hand into Santana's and pressing a longing kiss to her cheek.

"I can't wait to see you with our Puerto Rican babies," she confessed quietly in her ear. Santana laughed and blushed at the thought.

That car ride home had been considerably silent, Santana noticed while glancing nervously towards the passenger side where Brittany sat staring out the window thoughtfully. Her ovaries still ached from the scene at the airport and Brittany's admission wouldn't quit loudly repeating itself over and over in her head. Even though Santana still wasn't entirely ready to share Brittany's heart, the idea of sharing it with little clones of themselves was suddenly too appealing to keep postponing.

She'd been sure they were on the same wavelength as they walked back to their car, stealing smiley knowing glances at one another on the way. But the second Santana caught a frown beginning to etch across Brittany's face as they drove in unsettling silence, she found herself lacing their fingers and gripping the hand she'd been securely holding for a little reassurance.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Brittany shrugged, shaking her head. "I'm just thinking..."

Santana felt her heart race with unexpected dread as she waited for Brittany to complete her thought.

"About what?" She pushed gently when the words didn't come soon enough.

Brittany turned to look at her sadly then but quickly lowered her eyes when she saw the worry in Santana's.

"It's just that it took them so long to get a baby, San," she sighed dismally before braving another look at her. "It's gonna take us forever, isn't it?"

Santana squeezed Brittany's hand in hers. "What makes you think that?"

Brittany shrugged, dropping her eyes once again.

"We don't have to adopt, you know? I always thought you'd wanna try having our own?"

Brittany's eyes lit up a little at this and Santana felt a hopeful smile tugging at her own cheeks. "Don't you?"

"How though?"

"Well we already have the oven," Santana noted, poking at Brittany's belly playfully. "So we just need some sperm."

She made a face as she said and the other girl shrieked away giggling before poking Santana's belly right back.

"What about _your_ oven?"

"Britt," Santana frowned, taking her eyes off the road long enough to look at her seriously. "You do know there's no coming back from these child-bearing hips, right?"

Brittany shrugged, a smirk on her face. "I think you'd look cute pregnant."

Santana smiled but stubbornly shook her head. "I bet you'd look even cuter."

"Uh huh," Brittany teased.

Santana took it to mean they were back on the same page and didn't even wait to call her dad as soon as they got home. He was a little taken back by their interest in becoming parents so soon but seemed enthused enough when he recommended they go see an old colleague of his about their best options. Dr. Wu was extremely accommodating and fit them into his busy schedule for a consult visit that same week.

"I always suggest artificial insemination first. It's going to be your easiest and cheapest route, particularly if you already have a sperm donor," he explained to them. "Otherwise we can help you find a suitable one."

"I don't care as long as it's Santana's baby," Brittany stated simply and Dr. Wu's attention automatically shifted.

"You'd like to carry the pregnancy then?"

"Uhh..." Santana pretty much froze.

Right away it was painfully obvious they hadn't much discussed how they wanted to go about this and rather than answering questions, the doctor was now posing new and important ones. An awkward beat passed between them before she turned to Brittany, who'd begun pouting a little miserably at her hesitance.

"Not really?" She ventured honestly, giving her wife an apologetic look.

"But I really want our babies to look like you," Brittany predictably whined in response. She'd already made this very clear whenever they talked about having kids together but Santana had foolishly thought she'd be willing to compromise when it really came down to it.

"Babe," she sighed impatiently, hating being put on the spot by her more than persuasive better half. "Let's just see what our options are first then we can talk about this some more in private, okay?"

"Actually," Dr. Wu interrupted her plea before returning his attention to Brittany. "It is technically possible for you to carry Santana's child."

Brittany's ears perked up with new interest and she swung her head back around. "It is?"

"In-Vitro," Santana thought out loud, mentally kicking herself for not thinking of it sooner. "_Duh_."

Dr. Wu smiled at her. "That's correct."

"In what?"

"He means they can put my egg in your uterus and let it grow there instead," Santana quickly explained in layman's terms.

Dr. Wu nodded in agreement and Brittany's eyes danced between them before the idea clicked, shooting a tentative smile in Santana's direction.

"I can have your baby?"

"Technically," Dr. Wu interjected again when Santana only smirked back, her mind already running wild with the thought of knocking Brittany up. "You would still need a sperm donor to fertilize but if everything else is in order, you definitely can."

He carefully laid out each step then, emphasizing the cost of the treatment before sending them home to discuss even though Brittany was pretty much set on that plan the moment he brought it up. The cost really was outrageous but thankfully they'd opted to purchase additional coverage through Santana's already generous health plan at McKinley before they married, at the time unknowingly decreasing their co-pay for specialty procedures like IVF considerably. By the time Dr. Wu had given them a ballpark figure, Santana was beyond glad to have insisted on being safer rather than sorry. If her father had instilled anything in her, it had certainly been to make sure she never drowned in medical bills.

The question then became where to go looking for sperm. Purchasing from a lab would've cost them even more money and Santana wasn't all that convinced she wanted a perfect stranger as the father of their baby. What if they picked a psychopath with seemingly good genes? Or someone with an undocumented medical history? The idea that a person they'd never get to meet could pass on something that could potentially harm their child was a little too scary for Santana. More importantly, she was really close to her dad and so was Brittany to hers. Following a late-night conversation which went on for hours before they both fell asleep, the couple concluded they would've very much hated never knowing where half of them came from and together decided it would be best to choose a donor close them.

Santana's first suggestion had been Sam because he reminded her of Brittany the most. She was sure the kid would most likely take after her if they picked him, but should his genes win out at the very least he or she would look a little bit like the other girl. Of course then she thought about the potential mouth on the poor child and immediately scratched her own suggestion off the list. Between the size of his yap and Santana's own smackers, that baby's chances at a normal face were zero to none.

Brittany's next suggestion had been Mike because they were the closest, however when Santana assured her their babies would most definitely be Asian she quickly changed her mind. They both thought of Puck after that but even though Brittany thought that baby would've been cute as hell, Santana was certain their spawn would be an absolute nightmare to raise. Honestly, she probably would've taken her chances with an anonymous donor had he been their only choice.

They were still considering their options when Quinn rang to invite them along on her and Finn's first date night since baby Ben. Santana proposed they invite them out next time instead considering it'd been even longer since their friends had any time to themselves, but Quinn insisted on paying them back for looking after Finn in her absence.

Once they'd placed their drink orders, Finn reached for Quinn's hand over the table. The couple shared a quick look before he turned back to them and cleared his throat.

"We prayed about it and decided it would be an honor," he addressed them both with a careful smile, "to donate sperm should you need it to, you know, have a baby someday."

Brittany's eyes went wide with surprise.

"If you want," he added nervously, squeezing his wife's hand. Quinn grinned proudly at him before turning back to them expectantly.

Santana's face flushed, having never given a single thought to having children with the man whose virginity she'd so mindlessly stolen when they were younger. Not that they weren't far past that but oddly it was the first thing she thought off.

"Honey," Brittany reached for her hand, shaking it gently to get her attention.

They exchanged a meaningful look and Santana knew right away that Finn Hudson was, weirdly enough, the candidate they'd been searching for all along. It probably would've never occurred to her before but he was close to them, shared some of Brittany's quirkiest traits, and was a loving father to both of his sons.

Suddenly feeling extremely comforted by the latter, Santana's eyes shifted back towards him.

"You'd have to be involved in the baby's life to some degree," she countered, her tone nervous and serious.

"Of course," Quinn replied before he could, immediately catching the concern in Santana's voice. "Whatever you guys want, we'll be there."

Santana nodded slowly and blinked her eyes, too shocked to fully process what was happening.

"Well there's a lot more to talk about, but-" she paused to glance nervously in Brittany's direction again. The other girl squeezed her hand, urging her on with an excited nod and a smile. "We'd actually really appreciate that. Yes."

Finn appeared pleasantly surprised, raising his brow and smiling wide at the same time Quinn brought a hand to her chest and pouted as if about to cry.

"Please," Santana added humbly, at once realizing the selfless magnitude of their offer.

"And_ thank you_," Brittany's voice cracked next to her, the emotion threatening to spill from her eyes.

A lump formed in Santana's throat at the sight and she swallowed against it, willing herself to keep it together. All hope of that was lost, however, the minute Quinn sprung from her seat to squeeze them both into a hug. Their make-up was nearly ruined by the time she sat back, asking for every detail to their already fairly elaborate plan to conceive. Their friends chastised them a bit for not asking them sooner but were overall supportive and excited to take part.

As soon as they resolved to begin the process, they realized how tricky it would be to conceive this way. Testing to make sure they were both healthy took a few weeks alone. Then began the tedious part of taking fertility drugs via injection daily for two more weeks, which Dr. Wu had assured Santana would be so simple she could probably administer them herself at home. That was easier said than done considering how much she hated needles but thankfully Brittany's mom was a registered nurse and gladly volunteered to come over every night after dinner and do it for her.

Once they'd collected Santana's eggs it was finally Brittany's turn on the table. They transferred three embryos and froze the remaining two. Dr. Wu forewarned them that it could potentially take a few cycles before they were successful. Santana secretly thought they would need some time to adjust their lives to having a baby, anyway.

As luck would have it though, Brittany was pregnant just ten days later.


	5. Glow

Author's Note: I received some disgruntled comments over the last chapter so here's another one to make it up to those of you who maybe hated it too but are still with me. I'll be very honest though, if you cannot ignore canon and read this story as an AU, I suggest you stop now. I really don't feel like I should have to warn about potentially upsetting plots unless they involve real trauma-inducing triggers and this story has none of that so, there will be no "heads up" of any kind. What's the point of a telling a story then? If you don't like where this is going, I'm really sorry, and I would hope you at least give it a chance to play out, but I'm not going to sugar-coat things or change directions now just to get a handful of folks to stick around. No one's forcing you to read this.

The rest of you, enjoy a little smut!

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><p><span>Part Five: Glow<span>

Everyone found out rather quickly. Both sets of parents had been in touch almost daily from the beginning so naturally they were the first people they told. Santana's mom was overjoyed right up until her dad teasingly called her _grandma _and then she wouldn't hang up the phone unless the girls promised the baby would call her anything else instead. Brittany's parents had insisted from the very start that Pierce women were typically fertile so their reaction was more of an _'I told you so'_, but an ecstatic one nonetheless. They also shared the good news with Finn and Quinn, without whom they wouldn't have had good news to share. Both were thrilled that baby Ben was getting a new playmate and Quinn had already promised them the best baby shower, ever.

They'd asked all of them to keep it a secret a bit longer then, but Santana wasn't too surprised when someone mindlessly let it slip on one of their Facebook walls not a few days later. Rachel was the first one to call.

_"I just heard Oscar's going to have a baby cousin soooon,"_ she sang excitedly from the other end of the line, her voice filling their bedroom via speakerphone.

Santana giggled with the joy of telling someone new before joining her. "That's riiight."

_"OH MY GOD! Is she glowing?"_

Santana glanced up from the book on her lap to give Brittany a quick once over. Her eyes were still focused on her own baby literature but the corner of her mouth was lifting into a shy smile, her socked feet putting an end to their game of footsie by pushing Santana's away when pale cheeks began burning under her scrutiny.

"She's absolutely radiant," Santana sighed dreamily, giggling and rolling her eyes at herself while Brittany just shook her head at them, the smile on her face growing inevitably wider.

Rachel squealed. _"Yay! I'm so happy for you girls! And when exactly were you planning on telling me?"_

"Actually, we just found out..." Santana replied, trailing off distractedly to quirk an eyebrow at Brittany who was suddenly and blatantly leering at her legs.

_"Quite frankly unless she peed on a stick this morning, I'm a little offended."_

Santana watched curiously as Brittany smirked to herself, decidedly setting her book aside before crawling slowly towards Santana's end of the bed.

"Don't be," she cleared her throat, willing herself to focus on the conversation long enough to end it. "We just told family like last week."

_"And Finn and Quinn. You told them first." _

Santana sighed a little impatiently, less at Rachel's irrational jealousy and more at the fact she was unknowingly keeping her from finding out exactly what her wife had in mind with that look.

"They definitely weren't the first to know. And besides, they're practically family," she tried reasoning with a half lie, not really caring to let anyone in on their legal arrangement just yet. Or ever. Santana really didn't want to make a big deal out of Finn being their donor.

_"And I'm not?"_

Santana rolled her eyes. "Okay, Rach. Hey, guess what!"

_"Ha ha, too late."_

Brittany reached for the book on her lap and set it aside too before stalking cat-like the rest of the way on top of Santana, an invisible tail practically curling in the air above her as she settled and dipped her head sideways.

"Listen, I gots to run," Santana rushed out, her breath catching in the back of her throat when she felt Brittany's teeth on her collarbone.

_"Wait! Is she there? Let me talk to her!"_

Brittany retreated quickly and grabbed the phone from Santana before she could lie again. "Call you tomorrow. Love you. Mean it."

She unceremoniously ended the call for her and tossed the phone aside before closing the gap between their lips, humming as their mouths pressed deliciously together. Her eyes were closed when she pulled back, smiling happily as she slowly opened them back up. Their brightness still made Santana's heart flutter with wonder after all those years, as if seeing her for the first time. Except now they sparkled in a way Santana couldn't quite put her finger on. Brittany's tongue darted out to taste her bottom lip, rolling it into her mouth and catching it between her teeth. Santana leaned back on two hands and watched with amused intrigue as Brittany hooked a finger around the collar of her blouse to peek at her naked chest inside.

"You look pretty good yourself," she quipped, eyes roaming a moment longer before looking back up.

"Is that right?"

"Mhmm," Brittany grinned, nimble fingers easily unbuttoning the only thing Santana was wearing. When she was finished, she leaned forward and skirted long fingers across tan shoulders, taking the sleep shirt with them as it fell down Santana's arms while her lips brushed across Santana's jaw to her ear. "You've been giving me a wettie all day," she whispered like it was the dirtiest secret in the world, breath warm and thick as fingertips lazily traced the outline of Santana's spine.

Santana noted the sudden rush of liquid between her own legs with a shudder, the quick retort at the tip of her tongue escaping her the second Brittany pressed a wet kiss where her jaw met her neck.

"Oh?" She settled for lamely instead, eyes rolling to back of her head when Brittany nipped and licked the same spot, the nose tickling under her earlobe as she moved sending a chill through her. "And whatcha gonna do 'bout that?"

Her voice came out a little higher pitched than intended but Santana didn't care to save face as much as she just really wanted to know. She hadn't even noticed the hand that wandered in search of evidence to Brittany's claim until it was being playfully swatted away. She'd shifted all of her weight onto a shaky shoulder and gave up easily, balancing back on the rejected hand while pouting her lips in mock disappointment. Brittany pecked them.

"Kiss you," she replied cutely against her mouth, nibbling at the top lip and dragging it back to slide her tongue under it and past Santana's teeth inside.

The kiss was languid yet hungry. Santana lost herself in it for a minute, delighting in the velvety feel of Brittany's tongue insistently stroking hers and noting the way she expertly breathed in through her nose as she moved her head to the other side, seamlessly switching directions. Santana had the lungs of an athlete and grew dizzy still, realizing she'd probably been holding her breath the entire time she'd been committing the kiss to memory. Her arms were beginning to shake under their combined weight so she swung her left around Brittany's waist to steady herself, pushing against her forehead with her own to inhale deeply.

"What else?" She whispered, breathless after the passionate exchange. Brittany touched her lips to the corner of her mouth as her hand found Santana's breast, squeezing lightly and thumbing across an already hard nipple. Santana gasped and Brittany took the opportunity to slide her tongue back inside her mouth, kissing more urgently and once again leaving Santana gasping when she shoved back for air.

"Touch you," she replied huskily, pinching and rolling the nipple between her thumb and forefinger.

Santana moaned and Brittany swallowed it, reattaching their mouths as she lifted up on her knees. She used one of them to nudge Santana's thighs apart then sat back on her feet in between them. Santana brought the arm around Brittany's waist up to wrap around her neck instead, drawing her closer and pushing back with her tongue in a desperate attempt to deepen the kiss. Brittany slid her hands up Santana's thighs and dipped around to pull them over her own before reaching for Santana's panties.

Santana lifted her hips to assist and Brittany swiftly maneuvered them from her legs without losing her position, grabbing Santana's thighs again to pull her further down on the bed and hover above her. The sudden motion caused Santana to swing her arm back behind her, catching herself on her elbows this time, not quite wanting to give up the view when she felt Brittany's fingers slide through the heat already pooling between her legs. She whimpered, her hips jerking against them, seeking pressure on auto-pilot. Her eyes fought to stay open and watch Brittany work, gaping at the image for a glorious second before Brittany nudged her head into another sloppy kiss. They fought for dominance, Santana eventually letting Brittany take it over until she was tipping her head all the way back and letting it hang there, gasping for air. She could feel Brittany's eyes on her, hooded over and dripping with lust. Her mouth probably hanging open and drooling from the sounds she was coaxing out of Santana's mouth every time she pressed a little harder and circled a little tighter.

She'd forever been a shameless bottom. It was hard not to be when letting Brittany win always made her so eager to please. Topping was always fun and Santana was ridiculously good at it, but Brittany was truly the expert. She really got off on making Santana bend and melt under her touch and Santana happily put on a show for her, garnering the strength to lift her head back up and lock eyes with stormy blues, whimpering every time Brittany pushed her a little bit closer to edge and biting down hard on her lip as if trying to keep from crying out her release. Brittany licked her lips hungrily and Santana mourned the sudden loss of fingertips before the long fingers they belonged to were in her mouth and she could taste herself on them. She watched Brittany practically salivate as she slid them all the way inside her mouth and sucked greedily in return, moaning in the back of her throat and staring wantonly back before letting her eyes roll to the back her head.

They shot open again when she felt the same fingers slip from her lips and slide deep inside her in one quick move, rocking her body backwards and pushing all the air out from within her lungs. Santana's hands gripped the sheets and held on to dear life as Brittany didn't let up, steadily driving her fingers in and out of her until Santana's moans were echoing throughout the house and Brittany was smiling breathlessly above her. No longer in any control of the situation, Santana focused her eyes, flexing her biceps to keep from collapsing and losing the perfect angle in which her hips were thrusting back into Brittany's hand at a frantic pace. But then the girl above her groaned and stretched her legs, pushing back with her own hips and driving fast into her three more times before Santana's arms gave out and her head pressed back against the mattress, her entire body arching up into an orgasm that took her hard and by surprise. She opened her mouth to scream but couldn't find her voice, instead shutting her eyes tight and holding her breath, hanging on to it a bit longer until it came out a broken moan and her body flopped back down on the bed, shaky and completely spent.

"Fuck, baby, you're sexy," Brittany growled against her neck, biting down and removing her fingers to clumsily push her own underwear past her hips.

Santana moaned, still high from her release as she squeezed Brittany's ass with both hands, spreading her thighs wider and rocking her down hard once, finally feeling just how wet she was against her own drenched core. She kept a hand on her and slid the other between their bodies, effortlessly sinking two fingers inside her.

"Baby, you're _dripping_," she mewled as her fingers stroked Brittany slowly, delighting in the fact and shivering from the sticky warm feeling.

"I told you," Brittany whimpered, rocking her hips back with flawless rhythm. "That feels so good baby, please don't stop."

"I'm not gonna," Santana cooed back into her ear, lifting her own hips off the bed and pushing back harder into her. "Not until you come so good for me."

Brittany turned her head to the side and moaned, nails digging into Santana's arms and holding on as Santana picked up the pace, steadily building her up until she felt Brittany clenching hard around her fingers and convulsing on top of her. It hadn't taken very long at all and Brittany settled back down just as easily, hands fumbling blindly around them in search of the covers to their unmade bed. Santana reached for the comforter and pulled it over them as Brittany's breathing evened, humming happily before turning her face to kiss her neck and bury it there.

The lights were still on and Santana wasn't sleepy yet, but she was content just laying there with Brittany snuggled comfortably on top. She felt sweaty, swollen, happy, sated. All of those wonderful post-orgasmic sensations added to the heightened notion that the woman in her arms, this creature responsible for so many moments like these and so many _firsts _in Santana's life was getting ready to give her the ultimate one.

"You feel pregnant yet?"

"Kinda," Brittany mumbled unsurely around a yawn. "A little. Not really. I'm sleepy."

Santana glanced up at their digital clock, it read 7:22pm.

"Yup," she smiled, scooping a lock of Brittany's hair behind her ear and kissing her cheek. "That sounds about right, babe."

After about a minute of silence, Santana heard her mumble something else that sounded suspiciously like "I'm gonna fall asleep and crush you."

"No you won't," she yawned in reply, even though she was sure by the steady breathing against her neck that she was already talking to herself. Santana closed her eyes, arms wrapping securely around Brittany. She'd really wanted to shower first but the steady rise and fall of the chest atop hers lulled her into a half-sleep state during which she probably fell all the way asleep for two minutes before the dead weight started making it too difficult for slumber.

She shifted their bodies, Brittany instinctively sliding off and curling against her side, left limbs still draped heavily across Santana. It wasn't the most comfortable for herself, but Brittany looked it. She laid as still as possible and just watched her sleep, taken by the new shine to her golden hair and the way even her eyelashes looked so long and beautiful resting over the rosiest cheeks. Maybe it'd been the baby vitamins already taking effect but Brittany really was glowing. It made Santana burst with pride that she was hers. She'd truly never felt happier than in that moment.


End file.
